Features

It has been well documented that Classics riders, the "hardmen" and "hardwomen" of the peloton, are cut from a different cloth. This unique group within the cycling fraternity/sorority relishes the opportunity to test themselves over rigorous parcours and are further emboldened the more inclement the weather becomes. Annemiek van Vleuten (Bigla Pro Cycling) will be the first one tell you that she is a Classics rider. And she does so with such a zest and eagerness as if to let you know that she is ready, at this moment, to battle through both adversary and adversity regardless of the circumstance.

Our variation of Woman Crush Wednesday is intended to highlight the great women of cycling at the height of their career, as well as to introduce you to some riders who are on the brink of stardom. Who Since Bernard Hinault's retirement in 1986, the French have expectantly, hopefully, anxiously, resignedly searched for their next great champion. Riders such as Virenque, Jalabert, Vasseur, Moreau, Chavanel, and Rolland have all provided their countrymen glimpses of their glorious past, but to date, none have come close to matching Hinault's accomplishments or his public appeal. Unwittingly, the French may have been looking in

A pre-race favorite in yesterday's Road Race at the USA Cycling National Championships, Lauren fell just shy in her bid to claim her first National Championship on the road. In Part II of my conversation with Lauren Hall (Optum Procycling), we discuss racing in the Stars and Stripes, the future of women’s cycling, and why Tim Reynolds should be looking over his shoulder. Lenny B (LB): Each of the top three moments on your palmares is related to the Stars and Stripes. Is there something extra special about representing or racing for your country? Lauren Hall (LH): You bet, representing

Happier than a tornado in a trailer park, is a colloquial expression that could easily be applied to Lauren Hall (Optum Procycling), winner of the 3rd edition of Gent-Wevelgem. For the Mississippi native; however, being so happy that you want to pick things up and throw them around speaks less to what she has achieved on the road, or for that matter on the pines, in her young and upstart professional cycling career, but more so to the fact that she has accomplished what most people spend a lifetime doing; finding (or having the courage to pursue) what makes them

Last year, I had the good fortune of meeting author Chris Cleave, who was in town for a reading and signing of his latest novel, Gold, which delves into the lives and rivalry of two female track cyclists. During the question and answer portion, a rather astute devotee questioned the reasoning behind his use of female protagonists in Gold, and for that matter all of his books. While the question seemed to catch the Little Bee author a bit off guard, it was the method by which he arrived at his answer that proved most surprising. Beginning his research with

As some of you know, I host regular online live video Q&A sessions for cycling fans, in order to answer questions related to women's cycling, training, racing and life as a professional athlete. The one question that arises during every single session is: How can cycling fans better support women's cycling? Likewise, in response to my previous two articles (Money vs Ethics and Continuing the Dialogue: Women's Cycling), several readers have asked, What can we do to help? Gooooood Question! In answering this, I want to first recognize what a wonderful question this really is. In Continuing The Dialogue:

A recent discussion via Twitter ensued from this question, posed by the fabulously sharp-witted FestinaGirl: @festinagirl Women's cycling has all the panache the men's sport has largely lost - why is that? Money? Attitude? A few twitterati suggested the reason as less money in women's cycling. One argument can be made for this point: less money means less incentive to dope (and frankly, less ability to afford the doping in the first place). While logical, this argument bears insidious implications, and I want to expand on the topic (beyond 140 characters) to discuss why. Claiming lack of funding as the

Today I read this great article over at Cycling Tips. It's a quick take on a larger picture issue, and in the spirit of continuing constructive dialogue, I have a few thoughts of my own to add. First and foremost, let us state the obvious: men and women are different. This is both a fact and a good thing. Our sexes have evolved differently in many aspects: physiologically, culturally, socially. While I believe in and hope for and work toward equal opportunity for men and women, I recognize that due to our inherent differences, when it comes to gender,

In the process of writing the previous post (Part I), I asked my mom to share a few of her thoughts and impressions of our ride together. She had so much fun recalling the adventure that she wrote a full post of her own. We did not read each others' accounts before writing our own; nevertheless, we highlighted many of the same moments and even used many of the same words (I am my mother's daughter). Below are my Mom's recollections, in her own words. Enjoy! "Our trip to Austria could not have been more delightful and the highlight for me

In the process of writing this post, I asked my mom to share a few of her thoughts and impressions of our ride together. She had so much fun recollecting the adventure that she wrote a full post of her own, and it’s brilliant. While neither of us read the other's account before writing our own, we highlighted many of the same moments and even used many of the same words (I am my mother's daughter). Below are my words, and the next post will feature hers: our different perspectives on the same special ride. I took this photo